Intrajejunal Infusion of Levodopa/Carbidopa for Advanced Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review

Advanced Parkinson's disease is inconsistently defined, and evidence is lacking in relation to device‐aided therapies.

To update existing reviews of intrajejunal infusion of levodopa/carbidopa (LCIG), we performed a literature search for relevant articles (to November 3, 2020) using PubMed supplemented by hand searching.

Retrieved articles were categorized by relevance to identified research questions, including motor complications and symptoms; nonmotor symptoms; functioning, quality of life, and caregiver burden; optimal timing of treatment initiation and administration duration; discontinuation; and complications.

Most eligible studies (n = 56) were open‐label, observational studies including relatively small patient numbers.

LCIG consistently reduces OFF time and increased ON time without troublesome dyskinesia with varying effects regarding ON time with troublesome dyskinesia and the possibility of diphasic dyskinesia.

More recent evidence provides some increased support for the benefits of LCIG in relation to nonmotor symptoms, quality of life, activities of daily living, and reduced caregiver burden.

Patient age does not appear to significantly impact the effectiveness of LCIG.

Discontinuation rates with LCIG (~17%–26%) commonly relate to device‐related issues, although the ability to easily discontinue LCIG may represent a potential benefit.

LCIG may be a favorable option for patients with advanced Parkinson's disease who show predominant nonmotor symptoms and vulnerability to complications of other advanced therapy modalities.

Larger, well‐controlled studies, including precise investigation of cost effectiveness, would further assist treatment selection.

© 2021 The Authors.

Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society